bellowbelle

You could try a search on Victorian concertina....or, see what the International Concertina Association mentions re such. There are a lot of Victorian ('classical') arrangements for concertina (mostly English, I think?). As for me, though I am not a pro, I personally prefer to work on my own, solitary stuff, nobody else knows it, and seldom hears it. I don't know what you'd call it. Stuff. I enjoy the trad tunes, though, and they're good practice. Not only that, but, other people know them! The concertina is not really one of those loud bashing instruments...doubt that there's many used (noticeably) outside of folk and classical. (?)

Have added a .jpg of the tune, with the chords, to my lsite at Postpoems. The link is given above in my previous post. And, yes, now I have been playing it on my EC and singing it...at least, a few times, today...busy with a lot of jobs around here, and not only that but everyone seems to be on the edge of the flu or something like it....

Hi, Dane, You'll probably also want to consider the Duet type of concertina. Also, whether you want a high- or low- toned sounding concertina -- tenor, baritone, etc. I play the English...still learning...and I don't really know much about the other two types except what I have heard and seen of them. (I do have a second-hand oboe; I got a short start on that a little while ago, but, I'm not destined to play the oboe, that's for sure.) The Duet is generally recommended for it's versatility, and chordal accompaniment possibilities. But, really, I find the English to be suitable and I prefer the symmetrical balances of it. The Anglo is probably as equally amazing, but, I wanted to be able to pull/push the bellows in any direction for the same tone(s).... Anyway, I'm sure that you'll want to check out the link for The Button Box (at this site).

Oh, no...don't tell me the Gnome Liberation Front is still active!! (See: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_372429.html) I wrote a song, 'The No-Gnome Blues,' about such. It's at: http://www.postpoems.com/cgi-bin/displaypo....cgi?pid=102479 I was afraid, even, to put out my gnomes after posting that song, but....I took the chance. (I can't keep them all inside!) I've only done the song with guitar chords and singing....have never worked it out on the concertina....probably....shall not...!

Interesting. I'll have to practice some more with reiterated chords, too!

I'm not really informed about statues and gnomes, in general. I'd seen several angels with accordions, some from yesteryear, either as artwork (logos, etc.) or ceramics, candles, etc. I don't like to collect a whole lot, because things pile up, but, a year or more ago on ebay, someone had several pieces from a gnome museum in Germany. They were the curators, I guess, but closing the museum. I got this concertina-playing gnome and another one that's part of a quartet of musicians. I didn't pay incredibly great sums for what I bought, though I'm sure the demand/value of these guys could fluctuate over the years, high or low. I'd started out looking for any kind of garden gnomes, but once I realized there were all the specialized ones, I hunted around some more. When they started taking over the place, I quit buying them!

This little old guy is from Germany, came to me via ebay. He's also a vase, but...no flowers this time, just wishes for a happy holiday season.

I've been seeing more and more that it's helpful to learn how to do various fingerings in as many ways as is possible....in my opinion. I thought at first that it would always be better to use one finger for two adjacent buttons if possible, but, thanks to some help from Allan Atlas, I got talked out of that point of view. Working my way through a book of Victorian arrangements for the EC, I find some where it's not possible to get to the next 'move' if I don't use two separate fingers on the interval before it. (Like playing 'Twister' and falling!) And, I've also recently 'converted' to more consciously switching fingers on the same repeated note, thanks to the thread started by jgg, re fingering on the English. Jim sums it up -- ' Depends on what I'm doing before, during, and after those notes, among other things.'

I hope you're better soon, Helen, and I also hope Rhomylly's finger is fine again! Here's a 'get well flower' for you both:

So, for a week, anyway, you can read my mostly-concertina-related entries at Opendiary.com, using the OD reader login password -- OneWeek This is at http://www.opendiary.com The 'diarist's name' to type in, once you've clicked the OD reader login thing, is -- geranimom -- then, the password, OneWeek There's nothing 'dangerous' or, as they say, 'adult' in this journal. Maybe, nothing extremely interesting, either...but, then, you can be glad I don't post it all right here, I guess!! One reason I like to use the diary website is that my entries and etc. don't all show up in Google searches and so forth. (I think that's creepy, to find all my stuff in all these web search lists.) This temporary password expires on Dec 7th. I posted about this before and someone said it didn't seem to open. So...I don't know...it's s'posed to!

A couple things about this. Alistair also talks about playing in a very stacatto manner, and even mentions using this to create more separation of notes. His Concertina Workshop is also a beginners tutor and is directed at playing trad tunes. What about when you don't want that separation between notes? To play more smoothly you just have to use two fingers in these situations. Also, I think Alistair is in the minority here. I've read about this quite a few times, and it's a pretty standard technique to use two fingers in both these situations. Why not learn both ways? For dropping down a fifth (example was d to G) I'd say you want to always use two different fingers, unless there is a very specific reason not to. Using two fingers in this situation is one of the first things taught in the Carlin tutor. I agree with what Danny wrote in his post up above......try to use two different fingers at all times unless there is a good reason not to. bruce boysen Yes, my problem is with the 'MASHED PORTATOES' (ha, ha, ha)! (Portato is somewhere between legato and staccato.) At this point in my playing, I like the staccato that I get from using the same finger on a triplet if that seems most effective. Switching fingers, I get a mooshier sound. Good for some things, I guess.

okay....on second thought... I can see that it does help, to switch fingers, if you're going to play a REALLY, REALLY fast note. But....me, I'll probably not bother....

Hmm... Well, I still consider myself 'new' on the English. But, I find that there are some tunes I'm practicing -- i.e., Harvest Home, at the 'posted speed' as given at the Virtual Session http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/r2music/folk/sessions/ -- in which I use the same finger on the fast notes (fast for me, anyway, heheh) and it seems very awkward to use more than the one finger. (Most of what I play, my own stuff and not a lot of trad tunes, doesn't have a lot of fast spots, anyway....lucky for me.) If there's any reason why I'd be better off to not use the same finger on those fast notes, I'd like to know... I'm referring to measure 9, where the second part of the tune starts.

At this site: http://www.marquis-soft.com/ I found Graph Paper Printer and got a copy of that -- the registration was about $20., I think (you can try a freebie, first, but not the staff paper, I think). It's NOT really what most music writers are looking for, but...who knows, you may find it interesting. I can't recall how on earth I found that website in the first place. I've used the brick-wall type pattern to layout concertina buttons, and I have used the staff paper and the chord options, etc.. I do prefer Noteworthy, and ABC2Win, but, I do think the Graph Paper Printer options are kinda cool. Edit added: With the graph paper: The musical notation is done by using the "Insert Text" click, then see the various fonts -- Breathnacht, Seville, etc...

If an internet session were already established, by other players, I could go with whatever time it turned out to be, here. But, I can't help put one together and the whole microphone thing is a question, right now, for me. If I can't easily work it out, then...that's that. I think I'll have to use our other computer, too. I'm wondering, too, if there'd be any time-lapse problems. I don't know. Like....could everyone start playing at the beginning and still all end up at the same end...etc..

Here's a strange one...I was typing something into a Google search, the phrase, 'Stars swim overhead,' just to see if something I'd just written was already some kind of famous quote or something (...that one is generic enough, I think)... Anyway, what came up first was a listing for something at a really great website that I've never seen before, http://www.electricscotland.com. Check out the postcards, you can send them with some Scottish & other types of tunes. There's a lot more at the site, too, a humor section and so on. (As for my phrase, I'll keep it, it's gotta be a good sign.)

I did find the 'old' mic, yesterday....won't have a chance to figure out adding it, etc., for day or two, maybe. Anyway, the idea of internet live sessions sounds more interesting all the time. Meanwhile, I'm practicing with the ones at The Virtual Session.

hmm... Well, maybe just play really loud once you've crossed the Atlantic and fly over my house, and I'll join in... I just realized I no longer even have the microphones at this computer, and I can't/don't go on very many trips anymore (never did, for that matter). I can get some microphones, but overnight trips are...probably obsolete, for me. It's not just the pets and the home, though the pitbull does make it difficult -- she's my husband's dog, and only he can approach her...usually I can, but, she'll even go after me sometimes. i.e., when I leave Tom's (husband's) studio to get back to the house, he has to hold her tightly or...I'll get a free sample of her instant weight-loss plan (a big bite in the butt). So, in other words, there's no one that can come and feed the dogs, really, if they're left alone. I'll go away for a day sometimes, and Tom stays, or vice versa, or we'll go together and make sure the dogs have lots to chew on while we're gone. Tom is doing pretty well, but, he's on a lot of medication and has hepatitis C (which is actually not really what the meds are for). My daughter and I tested 'ok' for it, and, this is not an air-born thing, anyway. Usually things are calm around here, but, if/when they do get stressed, it seems to really knock the wind out of me...everything will seem to happen at once....daughter will need me (usually doesn't), pipes freeze, dogs go nuts, cats whine, husband wants to go to the emergency room, and then, of course, the car will break down....and I need the next several weeks to get caught up on sleep. Yes...this is a bit off topic and personal, but...since the subject comes up re get-togethers, I just wanted to explain that, basically, if I could, I would....but, it's very hard to be gone and be worrying that things aren't okay at home, etc.. It has always seemed, too, that it's when I'm gone that something will happen! So...maybe I really should go buy some new microphones, heheh.

Assuming that's the one, 'The Sheep's in the meadow, the kye's in the corn...' etc. (http://www.recmusic.org/lieder/v/volkslieder/bonny.html), that's one of the first songs I had to work on singing, when I was in college for a short time and took some singing lessons and sang in the chorus, etc... The version as arranged by Benjamin Britten. At the time, I did really like the tune, but, I just couldn't seem to connect...I think it was about 2 weeks into practicing the song before I realized a 'kye' was a COW (and, that's sad, considering that I lived with cows, in a pasture in Iowa...) Even sadder (maybe), that I myself am part Scottish and yet the brogue was so foreign to me. Saddest of all, my singing, these days...heheh, boo hoo... Anyway, it IS a beautiful tune...since being around here at Concertina.net, it came back to memory by surprise and I found the music for it online.

I assume that this is 'The Blackbird' tune that you're referring to? http://www.replink.com/ancestors/midi/blakbird.htm I was just curious about it so I found that through a search...maybe it's not the one, dunno, but, probably. (Or, one version, anyway.) It is a pretty one, for sure.

Am I the only one here? Oh, well... who cares... Just wanted to say, don't forget about the 'old' concertina.net site...or, maybe I should say, the ORIGINAL site. The TUNE-O-TRON there is still pretty cool, you know! After looking around at various tune-posting sites on the internet, I kind of prefer that one.

Just found this good one: http://www.worldtrad.org/Resource/rsrc_tunes.htm

I did visit the site and found it interesting but I was a bit lost...new to wikis, but, even then, regardless, I do tend to get lost online before finally figuring something out. I guess this is why I have my own music diary/journal online that's presently edited and read by only me, myself, and I, heheh. I like to post what I want there in my journal, and then if there's ever anything 'good' or something I'd like to share, I can copy and paste it, etc.. Too, I don't put a lot of effort lately into figuring out new stuff online...have been dealing with headaches, a little dizziness, and TMJ so bad that I'm afraid I'm going to have to have my meals all through a straw...can't move my jaw too well! It's been very weird. Taking Excedrin Migraine and resting a lot.

Great website and data base. Thanks. I've added it to my bookmarks.

It was, but I never got very good at it. Still not sure whether the problem was me or the tuba, since I did learn to play my brother's trombone. I decided to try it after hearing a couple of tuba players on separate occasions do beautiful work with traditional dance music. E.g., string band with fiddle, mandolin, and tuba, and the tuba doing much more than "oom pahe.g., running bass lines and even sometimes melody. Maybe I'll try again, some day. I have this fantasy of a tuba-uilleann pipes duo. Maybe an anglo instead of the pipes? Again I shall stray a bit off topic, but, it IS about a marching band... I have to brag SOMEWHERE...didn't want to start a whole new thread...about my daughter's accomplishments in the UMASS Minuteman Marching Band. (Re the Minuteman/Bunker Hill reference...my apologies to those of you ('Redcoats') in the UK, the mother country, but....well, it's all just history, now....there WAS a move a while ago to try to change that name to the Grey Wolves or something, but, nobody went for it.) Anyway, she's in the Drumline: http://www.umassdrumline.org/ Click on the 'Media' link, then, listen to the sound files if you want....see where you'd put in the concertinas? Hahah I love 'Birdland,' but, my daughter (Rainy) recommends the 'Conga' one or 'Cadence.' BTW, the football team is so far undefeated! So is Rainy...she just keeps marching, even when it's cold.... She is one of the cymbal players, in the cymbal line, and you can see her in the pics but it's hard to explain here which one she is. She's shorter than most of the players, has her hair dyed red/pink here, and has it in short ponytails... I do have some more recent, clearer pics, but not able to post them yet. I am so impressed with how hard these players work. I go to most of the home games to hear them and see them march. The training has just about been like the military! But, once you make it throught the 'boot camp,' band camp, things get better. So...the concertina... Should we have a concertina boot camp? Oh, no...